Hitachi, Ltd.

Kyocera Corporation

Yoshihito Takahashi

Akira Sasaki

Akiyoshi Hakoyama

Masafumi Suzaki

Katsumasa Mikami

Yasuo Nishiguchi

Tsuyoshi Yasutomi

Ryoichi Shiraishi

Takeo Honma

Tomoji Kitagishi

Yousuke Nagano

Shigetaka Furukawa

Ryooichi Kobayashi

The face pressure distribution shape of the graze portion of the thermal head is made to be consistent with the temperature distribution shape of the graze portion of the thermal head. The temperature distribution shape of the graze portion of the thermal head is made to be consistent with the face pressure distribution shape of the graze portion of the thermal head. The graze portion of the thermal head is formed projectingly in two steps, and the heating resistor element of the thermal head is provided on the top portion of the graze portion of the thermal head. A thermal transfer printer having no ink void and no ink transfer unevenness can be obtained.

Thermal transfer printer having an improved thermal head to improve ink

A thin film type thermal head includes a head substrate member, a partial projected glaze portion mounted on the head substrate member, a plurality of heating resistor elements provided on the partial projected glaze portion with each of the heating resistor elements having a uniform thin thickness and two electrode end portions. A common electrode is provided on the partial projected glaze portion and an individual control electrode is also provided on the partial projected glaze portion. The partial projected glaze portion has at least two projected portions of different height with the plurality of heating resistor elements having a portion thereof disposed on at least the highest projected portion of the partial projected glaze portion with both electrode end portions of each of the heating resistor elements being disposed on the partial projected glaze portion other than the highest projected portion of the partial projected glaze portion so as to enable a recording dot to become narrow in the printing direction.

Thermal head

A thermal trasfer printer including a thermal head, and a platen positioned against the thermal head through a printing sheet. The thermal head has a substrate formed of heat insulating material, at least one glaze layer on a top surface of the substrate extending longitudinally thereof, a plurality of heat generating elements on the glaze layer, a plurality of electrodes each connected to the heat generating elements in a manner to form an opening for the heat generating elements and a protective layer for preventing the electrodes and heat generating elements from contacting the printing sheet to avoid their wear. A portion of the protective layer for protectng the heat generating elements has a height which is greater by more than 5 .mu.m than the height of a portion of the protective layer for protecting the electrodes. The width of the glaze layer transversely of the substrate is less than 200 .mu.m at a location which is 10 .mu.m below a top surface of the portion of the protective layer for protecting the heat generating elements in a vertical direction. The platen is a flat platen and its deflection caused to occur by a biasing force exerted on the thermal is more than 0.02 time and less than twice as great as the height of the glaze layer.

Thermal print head

Growing community of inventors

Hitachi, Japan

Yoshihito Takahashi